Would You Rather Fish A Lake Or A River? 2024
trailer reply :
Then I would ask why? Just curious to see what everyone says.
Darren. reply :
All I fish now are lakes, so that'd have to be my choice. But watching that Bill Dance 2 part series where he fished a river deep in the woods was awesome. Took me back to when I used to explore rivers (and streams) as a kid.
If I had rivers like that around my area I'd probably enjoy that a lot too.
trailer reply :
On 2/26/2013 at 7:06 AM, DarrenM said:All I fish now are lakes, so that'd have to be my choice. But watching that Bill Dance 2 part series where he fished a river deep in the woods was awesome. Took me back to when I used to explore rivers (and streams) as a kid.
If I had rivers like that around my area I'd probably enjoy that a lot too.
Yeah, what got me thinking was I am trying to learn this 40,000+ acre lake here in AR which I don't know much about versus a small lake (which is nothing more than a river channel with a dam on each end) that I know blind-folded.
flyfisher reply :
Depends what I am targeting. If I want my smallmouth fix I hit the local rivers if greenies are what I am after then lakes and if I am looking for scenery and solitude its time to hit the blue lines and go after brookies.
They all serve their purpose depending on my mood but nothing beats an all day float chasing smallmouth.
Frog Turds reply :
i prefer lakes due to the slop i love to fish if i had to choose but i do love wade fishin the local river for smallies to mix things up...wading for smallies is its own unique entity, its a cool thing and glad i do have that option here...
FLcentral reply :
I like to fish the small rivers here in florida. The weather is less of a factor than open water lake fishing. River fish seem to be a little more active in cold weather also. Better suited to small boats in some ways.
Nitrofreak reply :
I have the pleasure of both, the Shennandoah runs for miles and miles and we never seem to fish all of it, I love to fish the river, it's home to so many secrets, but my favorite is fishing lakes, I love fishing deep structure, it's home to some of the biggest bass and you rarely if ever find someone doing the same thing you are, even when the lake is crowded, you find yourself all alone, with the exception of skiers and big boats during the busy season, that part of the lake is generally all yours, granted the bite is slower and fewer bass are caught, but the ones you do catch are on average larger.
slonezp reply :
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/113754-lakeriverpond-or-creek/
lmbfisherman reply :
I like Lakes over rivers, why? because to me it is fun to fish with the different depths..in the end though I'm not too picky if I am able to pick up a rod and go fishing.
BradGuenette reply :
No slop in rivers? Must be something wrong with you lads, ill take a river over a lake any day 
papajoe222 reply :
As I'm getting older, the challange of learning a large body of water and then locating active fish has become less and less rewarding and I find myself either targeting big fish or going after multi-species. I think at this point going back to fishing moving water would be more enjoyable as you can identify fish holding areas without the use of electronics and topo maps .
The only downside, for me, is the availability of water big enough to fish from a boat. I have limited range of motion in both my shoulders and casting from a deck, or maybe ankle deep in a river, is a concern for me.
I think the deciding factor would be the fact that river fish seem to give you a better fight than their relatives in lakes, especially smallies.
Jig Meister reply :
I prefer lakes/ponds, but I will take any water that I can!
thehooligan reply :
I'll chase smallies in the river any day of the week over a lake. I love wading out and getting them on top water...
fstr385 reply :
Lakes. Havent really fished rivers though yet... unless you count the everglades as one. I like finding small lakes most cant get to from shore with my little boat. The fish bite is more frequent and they seem to fight harder. I cant wait to get a fish/depth finder one day to hit the whole body high and low in em.
d3bf48 reply :
river
craww reply :
River smallmouth on a late summer sammy or buzzbait bite is about as good as it gets in my world.
Bankbeater reply :
I haven't really fished a lot of rivers and streams so I will say lakes.
Hooked_On_Bass reply :
I do a lot of river fishing, but I definitely prefer the lake.
wnybassman reply :
Rivers, as long as it is a bigger river such as the Niagara or St. Lawrence.
Why?
A 2 pounder fights like a 4, a 4 pounder fights like a 6 and a 5+ pounder is just unreal. Smallmouth of course.
flippin and pitchin reply :
Never the conformist, a reservoir which is a river that was dammed and is now a lake. You get the diversity of current like a river and slow water like a lake. Realize the Columbia is a pretty big river. River fish or current related fish do seem to be great pullers.
thehooligan reply :
I absolutely love fishing all the lakes in south jersey, most are small and shallow so its easy to find the fish. But.... ill never forget my summers as a teen going on weekend fishing trips to the juniata river out past harrisburg pa and getting 20-30 smallies a day. Especially that monster 4lb+ smallie i got on a jig !!
My goal this year is to chase some smallies out in pa again !!
BrettD reply :
Ponds are my favorite followed by lakes. Not alot of rivers in S.Florida so I dont have much experience on them.
reaction-strike reply :
I would give the slight edge to a lake. Reasoning, because holding a position in a river can be difficult.
SuskyDude reply :
Huge fan of river smallmouth fishing, so I have to go with rivers. But I do enjoy fishing lakes and the occasional small pond (especially at night).
KevO reply :
I'll take a TN River lake any day of the week. They have everything you could possibly want to fish and they are loaded with big bass.
PABASS reply :
Why no pond love? River especially in the summer months, Lakes in the cooler months and ponds when I want to be guaranteed to catch fish.
HogFan5 reply :
On 2/26/2013 at 7:23 AM, trailer said:Yeah, what got me thinking was I am trying to learn this 40,000+ acre lake here in AR which I don't know much about versus a small lake (which is nothing more than a river channel with a dam on each end) that I know blind-folded.
Lake Ouachita?
Big Jon reply :
I have been fishing lakes, but now that I am living in Colorado, I think I need to try out rivers, though I don't know anything about fishing rivers. They are the common places to fish here it seems.
iabass8 reply :
On 2/26/2013 at 9:32 AM, DirtNasty said:No slop in rivers? Must be something wrong with you lads, ill take a river over a lake any day
x2
jhoffman reply :
On 2/26/2013 at 9:39 PM, thehooligan said:I absolutely love fishing all the lakes in south jersey, most are small and shallow so its easy to find the fish. But.... ill never forget my summers as a teen going on weekend fishing trips to the juniata river out past harrisburg pa and getting 20-30 smallies a day. Especially that monster 4lb+ smallie i got on a jig !!
My goal this year is to chase some smallies out in pa again !!
You might wanna rethink that bud, the juniata and susquehanna both have taken a major land slide in fish numbers. Especially big fish. The lower sections actually have no kill regs now.
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/susq-impairment.htm
QuoteThe Susquehanna River—one of the nation's longest and most important
rivers is in trouble. Scientists and anglers have for several years been
reporting unprecedented incidents of diseased and dying smallmouth bass
in the Lower Susquehanna.
This nearly 100-mile stretch of river,
spanning from Sunbury to the Maryland border, has long been a
destination for anglers seeking the smallmouth. Unfortunately many
experts and anglers now speculate that current conditions in the Lower
Susquehanna may lead to the possible collapse of this once-renowned
fishery.
We believe the federal Clean Water Act is clear—when a
problem of this significance is found in our waters, it warrants listing
it as an impaired water body. Our organizations last fall joined the
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission in petitioning the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to include the Lower
Susquehanna on the state Impaired Waters List. Doing so would galvanize
state, federal, academic, and nonprofit resources to not only study the
problem but, importantly, to devise a detailed plan to fix it.
DEP
has not supported listing the River as impaired and has not included
the Lower Susquehanna in its final Impaired Waters List, which was
submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in January. This
issue is now in the hands of EPA.
In the meantime, DEP and other
state and federal agencies have committed to continue to study the
River, and we commend them for that. However, we call on DEP and the
other agencies to collectively commit to a clearly defined public
engagement process that provides updates on the study and the progress,
and to publicly share their data and findings throughout the process.
We
all benefit from a healthy River through livable communities with
strong local economies, protected human health, increased property
values and recreational opportunities. We all benefit from a healthy,
vital Susquehanna River.
HARRY CAMPBELL, Pennsylvania Executive Director, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
LIZ G. DEARDORFF, Director, American Rivers’ Clean Water Program - Pennsylvania
trailer reply :
On 2/27/2013 at 2:18 AM, HogFan5 said:Lake Ouachita?
Yep. Any time I go this year I'll be on it. I have my boat docked there so I just hop in and go. No launching. With that said, I'm committed to the lake, just need to learn it. It's huge and always wonder where to start.
wnybassman reply :
On 2/26/2013 at 10:34 PM, reaction-strike said:I would give the slight edge to a lake. Reasoning, because holding a position in a river can be difficult.
I've never really tried to hold position in a river. Drifting is much more effective, and you really get a workout by the end of the day making 600 repeated drifts in one day. lol
Big Bassman reply :
My choice is a lake/resevoir because I can catch much larger bass on a regular basis. 5-6# is a big river bass, while depending on the location of the lake it is not. I live on the Mississippi River so at least 1/2 + of my year is river fishing and I love it. However, I disagree with some who would say it is the same as lakes, I feel it is much different. I also love resevoir fishing simply because it is different than the river. I fish every week weather permits so I do fish alot. I am always in search of the really big one so naturally I want to put myself in the best place to accomplish it. Different strokes for different folks! All that being said, as long as I'm bass fishing no matter where, I'm really happy.
reaction-strike reply :
On 2/27/2013 at 5:47 AM, wnybassman said:I've never really tried to hold position in a river. Drifting is much more effective, and you really get a workout by the end of the day making 600 repeated drifts in one day. lol
Lol, Yes, drifting is very effective. Goes something like this, cast, going to make another pass, put your vest on, sit down, start the motor, drive the boat, kill the motor, stand-up, take your vest off, cast, repeat... I didn't mean running a trolling motor full blast in one spot ALL day, but there are times when you will want to hold a spot, perhaps a lay down. Positioning is key and it can become difficult.
jm37817 reply :
I would have to pick small streams and creeks, bass are so predictable to fish in creeks year round. I love wading them for smallmouth and largmouth, some of the biggest bass I've caught have been out of creeks. The number one reason I favor this type of fishing is the fact that I can fish all day and not see one person. I get too frustrated fishing lakes because I don't fish them enough, I can't afford it. When fishing creeks, all you need is two or three lures and your set.
Big Jon reply :
So the question I think I have is, if you don't have a boat, would you rather a lake or a river? You may be able to hit up more of the river if you're on foot, but I guess that depends on the size of it.
flyfisher reply :
On 2/27/2013 at 2:40 AM, jhoffman said:You might wanna rethink that bud, the juniata and susquehanna both have taken a major land slide in fish numbers. Especially big fish. The lower sections actually have no kill regs now.
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/susq-impairment.htm
I haven't fished the juniata but i would fish the susky any day that i can. Yeah the numbers aren't the same as they were 15 years ago but in the 4-5 trips i make out there every year i always catch at least one 18"+ smallie. One trip i caught 12 fish on the first day of my 4 day float and not one fish was under 16". I love that river, just wish it was closer.
thehooligan reply :
On 2/28/2013 at 1:12 AM, flyfisher said:I haven't fished the juniata but i would fish the susky any day that i can. Yeah the numbers aren't the same as they were 15 years ago but in the 4-5 trips i make out there every year i always catch at least one 18"+ smallie. One trip i caught 12 fish on the first day of my 4 day float and not one fish was under 16". I love that river, just wish it was closer.
I think i was 16 or 17 the last time i fished out there, that would be almost 14 years ago... But at that time we were just fishing grubs and the banjo minnows and getting 20+smallies a day. Right about when it was getting dark, i threw out an arkie jig and landed a 4lb+ smallie and ill definitely never forget that moment.
I hope to get out there this year for the first time in a long long time....
Oregon Native reply :
I miss the Columbia River but I like fishing all waters.
Lucky Craft Man reply :
I would pick a lake. A Great Lake to be exact.
Sam reply :
A river.
I love river fishing 
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